Deathwitch reports that a new line-up is ready to record a new album
entitled Deathfuck Ritual. While no label is chosen, some tracks are
Satanic
Orgasm Abyss, Only Death and Evil Fertilizer...Nuclear Blast has
indefinitely postponed the release of its announced Dissection live
CD/video...Bart van Wallenberg has vacated the guitar position in
Sinister
for personal reasons. The band is looking for an immediate replacement
for
the Creative Killings tour...Colombia's Goretrade has signed to Repulse
and
will release a full length there mid-2002. Out now is Corpsefuckinart
on
Coagulated Records and a split CD with Carnal on Supreme
Musick...Gothenburg's Runemagick has signed with Aftermath Music.
Requiem Of
The Apocalypse, the band's next album is being produced by Andy
LaRocque for
a 2002 release...Thorium has spent the entire January in Vader's Red
House
Studio (Pol.) to record its next album entitled Unleashing The Demons.
The
band will tour Europe with Withering Surface and Iniquity in the
summer...Internal Suffering is now on Displeased Records. The Dutch
label
should release the band's Chaotic Matrix CD any day now...Martyr AD had
to
leave The Haunted US tour in December after a mere three shows because
of
troubles with their van...Diabolic were refused entry into Canada in
December when the band arrived at the border as part of their tour with
Enslaved...Aborym has signed to Code 666...Dark Fortress will enter
Grieghallen Studio this May to record the follow up to Tales From
Eternal
Dusk. Red Stream will release the Profane Genocidal Creations CD in the
autumn...Prophecy Productions reports that Orplid's Nächtliche Jünger
is
complete and will appear shortly...Mayhem's Blasphemer is recording a
solo
album for Seasons Of Mist due in the summer...Steve Tucker has now
officially left Morbid Angel. His temporary replacement, Jared Anderson
of
Hate Eternal, will continue with the Floridians...Birdflesh's next
album is
called Night Of The Ultimate Mosh...Crash Music (formerly Pavement) has
licensed Sanatorium's Internal Womb Cannibalism for the US market. The
band
is also planning a trip to the Ohio Death Fest 2002...American death
metal
band Iranach has signed to Supreme Musick...Despite aggressive
treatment
Chuck Schuldiner of Death/Control Denied died of his cancer at 16:00
EST on
13.12.2001...Anal Cunt called it a day and broke up as of December 21,
2001.
The band's last show was in Massachusetts and anyone who wishes to
write can
still contact them at gestapohq@hotmail.com...In The Woods will release
a
live album this spring as a post mortem of sorts...Teenage Giallo Grind
is
the title for the forthcoming Gruesome Stuff Relish album. Hailing from
Spain the band is touted as influenced by Necrony...Aghora is in the
studio
recording its album Formless for Code 666...Colombia's Warhymns Records
has
release the tape version of Evil Incarnate's Blackest Hymns Of God's
Disgrace. The label has also made Nunslaughter's live CD Devil Metal
and
Nameless' Dirge album available. Speaking of Evil Incarnate, Morbid
Records
says the band is touring US and Mexico and has recruited Disinter's
Xion to
record its new album tentatively called Waiting For His
Return...Impaled
Nazarene has a new 7' called To Fuck Off And Die...Lord Gore's The
Autophagous Orgy is due this March on Razorback Records. The label has
also
announced the delayed Impaled/Haemorrhage CD for later in
2002...Following
four months of back and forth discussions Broken Hope has 'negotiated a
termination of contract' with Martyr Music and is now free to move
ahead
with the recording of its next album Flesh Mechanic...Illdisposed has
replaced drummer Rolf with Thomas Sølvkæde Muskelbuks who has not been
active in any bands for the last five years...Ireland's Abaddon
Incarnate is
playing the Fuck The Commerce Festival in Berlin in May. The band's
Nadir
album is now out...Brazil's Mystifier has announced a tour of Europe
for all
of July of this year...Holland's Pernicious is in studio recording a
third
album. The album will feature seven songs and be faster than the older
material...Diabolicum has re-signed with Code 666 for two more
albums...Evoke is busy writing for a MCD due this April...Lord Of
Beneath,
the forthcoming Unlord album, will be the act's farewell album...Taetre
has
signed to Mighty Music. Divine Misanthropic Madness CD is due in
September...Serberus has signed to Crash Music...Coming soon on
Candlelight
are Source Of Tide's Blueprints, Centinex's Diabolical Desolation
(Johan
Ahlberg of Subdive has now joined the band), Insomnium's In The Halls
Of
Awaiting and and a new album by Kaamos. The label has also secured the
European rights for the next Incantation CD due in April. The latter
band is
taking Acheron and Infernal Poetry on tour throughout Europe in
February and
March...Boston crossover band Overcast is returning for a show at the
New
England Metal and Hardcore Festival due April 5 and 6 in Worchester,
MA.
USA. The band features the current vocalist of Shadows Fall Brian
Fair...Upcoming releases from Blackend Records are: Eclipse's Act Of
Degradation debut full length, Skymning's Artificial Supernova CD, a
new
album from Thy Primordial called The Crowning Carnage and the sixth
edition
of Blackend sampler...Thorium has entered Exponent Studio in Slovakia
to
record Unleashing The Demons albums...Hammerheart Records has signed
Septic
Flesh. The band will enter Studio Fredman in May and hopes to release
its
album in October...Death To Mankind Records has released Axis Of
Advance's
Strike album. The former Sacramentary Abolishment and Conqueror
Canadians
are described as 'militant black metal.' The LP and CD versions
feature
different art. The label is also releasing Spear Of Longinus' Nada
Brahma /
Nazi Occult Metal12' imminently...Lugubrum has finished writing for De
Vette
Cuecken and expects to record in the summer...Dutch heavy metallers
Goddess
Of Desire were involved in a serious accident in Germany. While the
band
survived a traveling writer was killed in the accident...Australia's
Gospel
Of The Horns has added a second guitarist to the lineup named
Masochist...Biomechanical has resumed the recording of its debut album
Eight
Moons due in April...Code 666 has signed Manes and Atrox...Band member
The
Necromaniac reports that Apocalyptic Raids has changed its name to
Apokalyptic Raids (with a 'k') and recruited Farscape's Pedro Rocha
Skullcrusher on drums. The band is recording eight songs for a mid-year
release and has a split 7' with Gravewurm on Iron Bonehead
Records...Eternal
Darkness has finished work on a new album called Valley Of The Kings.
The
album, the first for Element Records, is due late spring...Amon Amarth
have
been forced to discontinue their US tour as of 31.01.2002. After the
earlier
loss of headliners Marduk to visa problems, the tour was not
feasible...loss
ofTo/Die/For drummer Tommi Lilman is recording a solo album with help
from
friends in Waltari and Sentenced...Angel Dust's Of Human Bondage will
be
released on March 5...Gurthang has lost the services of drummer Myvatn
and
keyboardist Enuresor. The duo will nonetheless record The Irony of
Death CD
with the band...Wilko Reijnders (formerly Fadeless and Hammerheart) has
set
up Unique Leader Europe and will promote and release that label's music
in
Europe. Upcoming releases are: Disgorge's Consuming The Forsaken and
Severed
Savior's CD. Severed Savior's guitarist Rob Lumbre was killed on
January 5th
due to a car accident...Dutch thrashers Mortuary I.O.D. are releasing a
full
length album entitled Distorted Massacre: Fear The Madness
imminently...Grey
Skies Fallen's second album will be out shortly on Maelstrom Music.
Mike
Kimock of Corrupture (also the other band of Pessimist singer/bassist
Reaper) replaces John Grden on the drum stool in Pessimist. Grden will
continue with True Unholy Death...Machetazo's Trono De Huesos is done
and
will be out shortly through Razorback...Hollenthon is touring Europe
with
Siebenbürgen and will also play Wacken in the summer...Just in time for
the
new album Hatefuel, Internal Bleeding has a new singer (replacing Mike
Lolito) in the form of ex-Bodyfarm (who called it a day recently)
vocalist
Jerry Lowe. The band is playing select shows...

Metallian Hard

Edgerunner Records has signed Larvik, Norway's Absolute Steel and will
release its double CD The Fair Bitch Project in April. The band
specializes
in outrageous shows and titles...Overkill has signed with Spitfire
Records.
The first release under the new banner will be a live album this spring
with
a full length to follow in the autumn...Rhapsody's Alex Holzwarth is
drumming for Kamelot on the current European tour.. Casey Grillo is
still in
the band...The current line-up of Jag Panzer is releasing a
newly-played
compilation of the band's older music culled from the Tyrants EP, Ample
Destruction and Dissident Alliance. The band will also have a live DVD
for
Christmas...Germany's Primal Fear is finishing the recording of its
next
album at Sonic Ranch Studio in Texas. Due in April, Black Sun features
songs
like We Go Down and Mind Control. A limited edition covers MCD called
Horrorscope is available now from the band...Michael Schenker has
teamed up
with Marty Friedman to record an album under the Thank II moniker...In
a
recent interview, Sadus' Steve DiGiorgio - partly responding to Jon
Schaeffer's comments on DiGiorgio - called Iced Earth an 'Iron Maiden
cover
band'. The bassist also expressed his hope that the he and the other
members
of Control Denied can complete the Control Denied album without Chuck
Schuldiner...Iron Maiden's forthcoming Live At Rock In Rio 2001
CD/video is
now due out in April. The band is also getting together for two special
shows in support of former drummer Clive Burr who has Multiple
Sclerosis. To
be held On March 20 and 21 at the Brixton Academy in London, the shows
will
be the band's only 2002 appearances...Seth's Divine-X is now due in
March...Mess Age has signed to Conquer Records. The Polish band's album
is
due in April...New York doom metal band Winter is reforming and playing
a
comeback show this May in NYC...Featuring new singer Apollo, Meduza's
new
album Now And Forever has been completed. The band is seeking a record
contract...Angra, with producer Dennis Ward, is recording a new MCD.
The
band is also participating in a Led Zeppelin covers CD with
Kashmir...Kurz,
the bassist for Sick Of Society, has left the band due to financial
difficulties. The band is writing new songs as a replacement is being
sought...Montreal's Porno Coma has lost its singer and is searching for
a
new front man...Anthrax who recently suffered some headaches for their
web
site's obvious address, have ended work on their coming album Take Back
The
Music at NY's Bear Tracks Studios. The band's web site was hacked
recently
by a group claiming to be Christian. Some tracks will be Superhero,
What
Doesn't Die and Strap On my Mind..Night In Gales has unilaterally left
Massacre Records because that label refused to pay for tour support or
do
promotion...Not only is Diamond Head releasing an acoustic MCD
featuring
several of the band's best songs, but the original line up is
rehearsing for
a new album possibly produced by Dave Mustaine...Century Media
publicist
Loana Valencia is the new singer for Dreams Of Damnation. The band will
enter the studio with Bill Metoyer this spring to record an album for
Necropolis Records...Majestic Union Records is releasing a Poison
(Germany)
CD featuring old eighties demo and MLP recordings. Further Down The
Abyss is
due in the spring. The label has also released Mortuary Oath's Once
Upon A
Dreary...'96 CD which features Angelkill's singer Blakk...Brett
Hoffmann has
been fired from Malevolent Creation (again!) for drug use and is
replaced by
former singer Kyle Symons (again!). The band's European tour is not
affected...The End Records has licensed progressive metal band
Wolverine's
MCD Fervent Dream and Squealer's (German thrash) Under The Cross for
America...Former Stigmata drummer Jason Bittner has completed the
Shadows
Fall line up...California thrashers Brick Bath have signed a deal with
Pavement/Crash Music. Said label will re-release the band's independent
CD
in February...The come back House Of Lords album is back on track for
this
autumn - without the major label. The album will appear on Frontiers
Records...Italy's Kaledon, who describe themselves as Fantasy Metal,
will
release a debut CD called Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 1: The
Destruction in March...Anvil's next album is due in April and is
entitled
Still Going Strong...Slayer have replaced Paul Bastoph with original
drummer
Dave Lombardo. The replacement is temporary but the loss of Bastoph due
to a
persistent hand injury is permanent. Bostaph is in Systematic now which
were
signed to the now-defunct Music Company of Lars Ulrich. Lombardo is
reportedly only with the band until the end of the current tour...US
progressive band Chiaroscuro has garnered label interest following its
three-song demo of September...A reformed Disharmonic Orchestra has
re-signed with Nuclear Blast for three albums and will release a new
album
this spring. The band now features a synthesizer...Active for the last
20
years with two albums to its name, Dutch progressive band Exises is
working
on a third album due late 2002. Some titles are Machines and Alpha
Centauri...Andy Spaan is the new drummer for Cassiopeia. The band will
not
replace its departed second (female) singer...Arch Enemy has resolved
its
contractual dispute with Century Media. The label will release Wages Of
Sin
in April with the first edition being a double CD. The second CD will
feature odd Liiva-era songs...Chavis Records, a new hard rock/heavy
metal
label, is accepting demos from bands looking for a recording contract.
Some
bands on the label are Scotland's Cry Havoc, Bangkok Babes and Naked
Son.
Contact the label at 15 E. Churchville Rd. Suite 115 PMB #134 Bel Air,
Maryland 21015 USA...Doug Aldrich (ex-Lion, Bad Moon Rising, Hurricane,
Burning Rain) has joined Dio on guitars and the band is hard at work on
a
new album expected through Spitfire this summer...Nonexist, featuring
former
Arch Enemy singer Liiva, has completed recording its debut Deus
Deceptor at
Abyss Studio...Dead Soul Tribe is the new band for former Psychotic
Waltz
member Devon Graves...Bassist Alessandro Lotta has been asked to leave
Rhapsody...Manowar's next album is now due in June and will be called
Warriors Of The World - United...Recently Nocturnal Rites had to
postpone
their recording session for an upcoming album due to illness of drummer
Owe
Lingvall...Some bands confirmed for Wacken 2002 are Kreator,
Destruction, In
Extremo and the headliners Blind Guardian. The latter band has also
chosen
Freedom Call as openers for its April/May German tour. Freedom Call
intends
to record material for a live mini album during this tour...Due to a
van
accident while on tour with Soilent Green, Brian Patton and Eyehategod
have
had to postpone a Japanese tour...Shinichiro Okada is out of
Shadow...Guitarist Stefan Elmgren of Hammerfall has signed his solo
project
to Eagle Records and will release the album in June. Hammerfall is also
slated to begin work on its next album then...Sirius has signed to
Nuclear
Blast...Aurora has finished work on its latest album Dead Electric
Nightmares. The album is expected imminently through Italy's Lucretia
Records... Medulla Nocte has called it a day...Century Media has
announced
the release of the next Onward album for February 19. Entitled
Reawaken, the
album is described as in the older, pure metal style...Slash's Snake
Pit is
no more. Slash will work on a solo album and write with his former
Guns'n
Roses colleague Izzy...Warlord will release Rising Out Of The Ashes
this
summer...Former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza is back with a solo album
which
is appropriately called Life After Deth. The hard rock album is written
over
the last decade or so, produced by Max Norman (Ozzy, Loudness, etc.)
and
available exclusively from www.menza.com...Bon Jovi's next album is
called
Bounce and is now due in October. The band is already planning shows
and a
box set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2003...Thilo Hermann has
left
Running Wild. His replacement is former Angel Dust man Bernd
Aufermann...Mascot Records has signed progressive act Cosmosquad. The
band's
new album Squadrophenia will feature 11 tracks and be out in
March...Rush is
recording its next album at Metalworks and expect to release an album
in the
late summer...Swedish hard rcokers Zool have signed to Lucretia
Records. The
band, now featuring an entirely new rhythm section, will have an album
in
March...Eighties hard rockers F.N. Guns are back and have recorded a
new
album called Ban The Guns which is due in March on MUG Records...The
End
Records has signed on Winds for North and South America. Winds features
Jan
Axel von Blomberg (aka Hellhammer from Mayhem) and plays classical and
dark
rock. The album Reflections Of The I is due in April...Entwine is in
Astia
Studio recording its second album. The album is expected this summer
via
Spikefarm and will be preceded by a single...Former Grave Digger
musicians
Uwe Lulis and Tommi Goettlich have named their new band Rebellion. The
line
up also features ex-Annihilator drummer Randy Black. In the meanwhile
Grave
Digger and Brainstorm are touring Europe...Guitarist Curran Murphy has
abandoned Nevermore for Annihilator. The former band expects to release
its
next album Enemies Of Reality in the autumn...Slated for the summer,
the
next UDO album is entitled Man And Machine and will feature an
appearance by
Doro Pesch...Chris Caffery of Savatage has a new project called Block
16
which features Rick Skatore the bassist for 24-7 Spyz. The band is
recording
another tribute to the US Army...Steelheart is reforming with a new
lineup...former Y&T guitarist Dave Meniketti has a solo album in the
works
which is now due late summer. He describes the album as, 'straight rock
with
some blues.'...David 'Rock' Feinstein is in studio recording a second
album...Ex-Harem Scarem drummer Darren Smith, singer Brett Carrigan of
Honeymoon Suite and Steve Skull of Killer Dwarfs/Fear Disorder have a
new
band called Pozer.

The new issue of Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles (#56 - $7 to 368 Yonge
St.
Toronto M5B 1S5) is, content-wise, a winner. Bands featured take a
heavier
turn (Sodom, Arch Enemy, Impaled Nazarene, UDO, Tesla, etc.) and the
issue
is yet again packed with all the news and features to which one has
gotten
used. I dare say the bulk of the reviews are biased to the positive,
but
given the interviews, CD and release list your money is well
spent...How can
you not like a fanzine whose cover depicts a slain Korn groupie (who
seems
to have Sepoptura tattoos) presided over by a metal Warrior? Metalcore
(#30
- $1 to P.O. Box 622, Marlton NJ 08053-1109 USA) is 15 years old and
that's
saying quite a bit. The editor/writer still can't spell and has zoomed
in on
even more females to interview, but most people admire Metalcore
because it
is obvious that the work is from the heart. There are no band
interviews any
longer (don't ask me, I don't know why ) but the zine's interviews are
useful if you want to start a record company or edit a fanzine!

IVORY KNIGHT - UP FROM THE ASHES
Hailing from the nation's capital, Ottawa's Ivory Knight fight in the
name
of hard rock and heavy metal. The band's biography cites several bands
as
influences. Having listened to the nine tracks on the CD repeatedly, I
believe, I have discovered the band's real influences as heard and
reflected
in the act's compositions. Ivory Knight will appeal to fans of Iron
Maiden,
Triumph, Diamond Head (the guitars on Perfect 10), Sacred Blade (vocals
also
on Perfect 10), Rush (the beginning of Roads To Glory is a good
example) and
Judas Priest. Imagine that! A Canadian band with its heart in all the
right
places. I can already see a Much Music/major label marketing rep
reading
this and having a massive coronary. 'What, you mean we haven't
brainwashed
everyone??' IK works best when they either speed things up or attempt
to
step a little out of their element - two things they should do more
often.
The CD depicts a quartet, yet the promo photograph enclosed is that of
a
trio and so I can't be certain of the line up's exact status. What I
can say
is that fans of AOR, hard rock and heavy metal can send $14 (includes
shipping worldwide) to singer/bassist Perinbam (who at one time shared
bands
with Jeff Waters) via P.O. Box 38144, 1430 Prince Of Wales Drive,
Ottawa K2C
1N6.

BIOMECHANICAL - DISTORTED
It does happen once in a blue moon: The Metallian receives a CD that
surprises him. When the four-track demo of England's Biomechanical
arrives
one couldn't be blamed for having visions of Meshuggah and Biohazard
prancing in his head. In fact, Biomechanical is best described as a
cross
between Dream Theater and VoiVod. The band's hefty and pompous
compositions
feature the kind of feel Dream Theater might produce. But far from
being an
Italian (ha!) clone of DT, Biomechanical infuses several harsher sounds
and
manages to craft something its own. Yeah, this is not a clone product.
In
fact, this Hertford act comes across as surprisingly mature and
polished for
a 'mere' demo band. There is no doubt that a label will come knocking
soon,
but in the meanwhile I advise the band to drop the keyboards, become
more
serious and keep on composing material for the labels can't be far
behind.
http://www.biomechanical.co.uk.

HUMAN ABSTRAKT - self titled
Lets take things from the top, shall we? This two song demo CD has an
inexplicably attractive cover. What looks like a magical yet dead
female
poses below a sinister portrait of skulls and...someone - a well done
piece
indeed. The bio assigns the black and progressive adjectives to the
band.
Human Abstrakt is neither really. I am not sure where the band's
thinking
was, yet the Georgia, USA band is better described as proficient and
loud
heavy metal with keyboards. Ah, the keyboards. It is no secret to the
readers that keyboards and metal don't mix. Which is why it is such a
pity
that Human Abstrakt has decided to take the easy way out, installed
keyboards and managed to destroy everything with one big swipe.
Regretful
because HA has in fact very good and loud riffs, very respectable
drumming
and a capable (and emotional) singer. In fact from what I can hear of
the
lyrics, they too are quite interesting. Collectively HA is easily
better
than most of the garbage released by most labels out there. Then they
go
ahead and water it down with that sound of the wimp: the trendy
keyboard and
make a mockery of the effort. Time for lost opportunities boys! C/o
2931
Appling Circle, Atlanta, GA. 30341 USA

SICK OF SOCIETY - PORN'N'ROLL FOREVER
Oi, punk, cores and pogo dancers listen up!! Last time we met SOS, the
biggest problem was the drum machine and the inevitable fake sound it
brings
- that hasn't gone away. However, and with the help of Bastian of
Fleshcrawl
engineering, the band launches a number of reworked older songs and new
songs with heavy riffs that have a cruising crushing crunch! I kid you
not.
If you needed another reason to become sick of society, I will give you
one.
SOS exudes independence and total disregard for the norm. This is the
genuine item which screams out, 'i do whatever I want' with no rules
and no
trends. You can hear it on every song, SOS just does whatever it wants
and
is real. $6 for the CDR to Oliver Kast, Roemerstr. 26, 89268 Voehringen
Germany. Next time print the lyrics please (esp. Louise!) and for
heaven's
sake skip the cover songs.

GODLESS - LET THERE BE DARKNESS
Upon receiving this demo CD my first impressions were not the most
positive.
Firstly, Godless is Greek. Greek metal has never amounted to much and
so
noticing the band's suspect logo - which resembles the international
physicians emblem with a serpent coiled around the inverted cross - the
Metallian could be forgiven for expecting less and less. Listening to
the CD
seemed to confirm my suspicions. The sound is weak and the singer
sounded
similar to the old Greek black metal band who never could muster much
power.
Yet the more one listens to this the better it all gets. I suppose it's
a
more complete picture that does the trick. Firstly this is a rough mix
CD of
what's to come. Secondly the band gets better the more you listen. It
is
underground stuff and Godless has taken the obscure approach. There are
no
commercial overtures or trendy elements here. It's dark and
subterranean
music for those who like metal mid-paced and more in tune with the
scene of
1990 than 2000. Play tip: The 14:40 minute Tale Of A Gothic Cathedral.

CROSS X - NEGATIVE WORDS
If a tree falls in a forest, is there a sound? Similarly if a hardcore
band
with 'social critic' lyrics has no listeners, does it matter? I say
this
because Cross X is not good - not good at all. The German hardcore trio
(featuring Sick Of Society's Oliver Kast) was formed in September 1997
to
bash together hardcore music with both socially-relevant and fun
lyrics.
Setting the lyrics aside, Cross X is two years away from compositional
aptitude and should have delayed recording and releasing by at least
that
length of time. Sadly the riffs are primitive, the music unimaginative
and
the playing untight. It's not a disaster but the band's inexperience
and
need for practice is explicit. Only the most hardcore may send the
required
$8 to Andi Rohrer, Teutonenstr. 6, 89250 Senden Germany.

SKININC. - ROSE COLOURED GLASSES
It is always a welcome CD whose influences completely circumvent the
rapcore
horseshit passed off as 'music' by Much Music and its corporate
co-conspirators. Here it is: imagine a real sleaze'n roll band whose
sound
is the product of a high powered blender of that first Mötley Crüe
disc,
Hanoi Rocks, Quireboys and even Rolling Stones vocally. The whole
affair is
ably produced and played and includes no less than 13 songs - and the
band
has mostly the material to support it. To add value these loud Aussies
have
tagged a video clip of Diatribe onto the CD and produced a real
attention-grabber. I like most of the instruments here - with the sole
exception of the drums. Content with following the rest of the band,
the man
behind the kit needs to come alive. Come on loosen up a little here!
More
Satanic than 10 Norwegian boys running around their label's offices,
spending $1,000 on band shots, wanking on their keyboards, etc., in
reality
Skin Inc. has more vice in it than two thirds of the so-called evil
bands
out there. Write to PO Box 460, Collins Street West, Melbourne VIC 8007
Australia.

APHASIA - ARCANE IN THALASSA
It's always been this writer's opinion that the Canadian metal scene's
biggest problem is its lack of professional development. Notice, not
the
music; the professional know-how, expertise and lack of knowledge-based
resources is what Canada lacks. Canadians have always been metal
leaders.
From Rush to Triumph, from Exciter to VoiVod and from Blasphemy to
Cryptopsy
Canada has consistently done it better and earlier than any other
country.
Which brings me to Aphasia: great band! The musical prowess is only
(rightly) surpassed by the enjoyable speed and heaviness. The band,
during
eight songs and 51 minutes, mixes ample melody with elements of speed
metal
and vicious Darkthrone-style blaze to deliver some of the more
accomplished
moments you will hear all year. The sound is great and the band slaps
its
competition in the face. Yet, look at the cover - ouch! Worse, the band
photo depicts three guys in crumpled shorts with my favourite being the
dude
squinting his eyes under the sun. I would have advised the band to get
a
manager and work at a more professional level to go somewhere, but what
are
you going to do? Canada is riddled with 'managers' who have never done
anything for their former bands - save disservice. 'Label' bosses whose
only
record is the record number of past failures and 'distributors' whose
only
forté is seeing if they can last under their current name more than
three
months before going bankrupt for lack of trying. Under these
circumstances I
salute the spirit of independence and ask everyone to overlook the
presentation and get hold of Aphasia's debut full length - it metals!
No
price given so write to C.P. Saint-André, Box 32111, Montreal H2L 4Y5.